An active suspension that protects your noggin.

6D Helmets leads the motorsports industry with its Omni-Directional Suspension, which disperses crash forces better than traditional helmets. Branching out into the mountain bike realm, 6D Helmets now offers their heightened protection to the trail crowd with the ATB-1T Evo Helmet. This aggressive helmet is built for the rigors of all-mountain riders and enduro racers with its moveable brim, adjustment fit dial, and sculpted vents offering the best of comfort and convenience.

To further clarify the helmet's defining feature, the Omni-Directional Suspension dissipates incoming force much like the suspension on your trail bike. 6D achieves this by separating two layers of EPS foam with 26 elastomeric isolation dampers, which look like double-ended suction cups that compress and rotate subtly when external force is applied.

This technology boasts greater impact absorption from multiple directions, meaning it's well suited for the angled crashes you experience while falling off your mountain bike. Another major benefit, it requires less initial energy before it starts absorbing impact forces, leading to a helmet that's better equipped for low-speed spills that happen more frequently than catastrophic crashes (although it's clutch for those as well!).

Inner EPS liner crack

Comment on Dan Be's productImage:

Six Degrees of Freedom

Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer

I have been riding in a 6D ATB-1T for the last year. After having several concussions, I was looking for the safest helmet I could find, without needing to ride in a full face. 6D was suggested by a friend who believed they made the safest helmet on the market. I was skeptical, but ultimately decided to give one a try. I am so glad I did!

As I write this, flashbacks of a recent crash flicker through my mind. Images of me overshooting a jump, not having time to grab the brakes and turn, and the sound of my helmet smashing into a tree. I had been riding a downhill trail and overshot the landing on a jump which immediately hooked left into another hip jump. Not having time to brake, and turning not being an option, I careened straight into a tree. At roughly 15 MPH I smashed the tree head first, followed by my shoulder and thigh. Laying on the ground in pain, I pondered what could be broken. The fact that I could think about this, instead of laying unconscious on the ground, I believe speaks to the safety features built into this helmet.

To start, I would point out that this helmet comes down lower on the side of your head than many other trail helmets on the market. This design isn't unique to 6D helmets, but is lacking in many of the trail helmets currently on offer. The impact zone on my helmet was directly above my ear and squarely situated over my temple. The impact was hard enough I cracked both the inner and outer shell of the helmet. Nestled between these two EPS layers is 6D's Omni-Directional Suspension Technology. The Elastomeric Isolation Dampers offer a progressive spring rate that manages low to mid-threshold accelerations, and allows the inner EPS layer to displace and sheer in a 3 dimensional spacer within the outer shell. I am convinced this technology significantly reduced the impact and twisting forces generated when hitting the tree head first. Ultimately, I believe this technology kept me safer than the technology I have used in other helmets, and is the reason I was able to make it to work the next morning. If only I had similar protection for my shoulder and thigh.

There are a couple minor design issues with this helmet. The first being it is a little heavy in comparison to other offerings on the market. The helmet is a little larger than some, and can appear bulky compared to some of the thinnest helmets available. And if you run hot like I do, the venting isn't perfect, however, it's better than I expected. I can live with these minor issues knowing that I am wearing one the safest half shells on the market.

If you are looking for one of the safest helmets on the market I suggest you consider this helmet. I just ordered another one today, and plan to be riding in a few weeks when my leg and shoulder are healed. I'm truly grateful for the technology the engineers at 6D have developed.